The Moon crossing the face of Earth.
(NASA/NOAA)While Earth's Moon is large for the planet's size, a new study has now found that our planet was just the right size to form such a large, life-enabling moon.
A study by researchers from the University of Rochester in New York, found that rocky planets with a diameter more than 1.6 times that of Earth and icy planets with diameter more than 1.3 times that of Earth likely can't create moons that would have those life-enabling effects on them, Space.com reported.
Because of the large size of the Moon compared to the planet, it controls the length of Earth's day and governs ocean tides. The Moon also stabilises Earth's axis of rotation, stabilising its mild climate, which is favourable for life.
According to scientists, the Moon was born from a cataclysmic collision of a nascent Earth with a Mars-size world known as Theia.
This impact stirred up a huge amount of material, which turned into vapour in the heat generated by the impact. For some time, this material circled Earth in a disk similar to Saturn's ring system. The material in this disk, scientists believe, gradually gave rise to smaller moonlets, which subsequently merged to form one large Moon, the report said.
The new study, based on computer modelling, found that if larger planets collide, the energy of the impact is such that all of the ejected material vapourises rather than part of it. And that makes a difference.
The large amount of vapour around the planet creates drag, which gradually slows down the moonlets as they orbit the planet, making them crash onto its surface.
The findings might help astronomers fine-tune their search for potentially habitable planets. The report said they simply have to focus on those with a large moon compared to their size.
"By understanding moon formations, we have a better constraint on what to look for when searching for Earth-like planets," study lead author Miki Nakajima, an assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester, said in a statement.
"We expect that exomoons [moons orbiting planets outside our solar system] should be everywhere, but so far, we haven't confirmed any. Our constraints will be helpful for future observations."
**
The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.
https://weather.com/en-IN/india/space/news/2022-02-06-size-of-the-moon-may-play-significant-role-in-determining-a-planets
2022-02-06 05:07:15Z
1279966574
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Size of the Moon May Plays Significant Role in Determining a Planet's Habitability, Claims Study | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com - The Weather Channel"
Post a Comment